At the ungodly hour of four-thirty on Sunday morning, Gio was waiting impatiently at the International terminal for the plane bringing his old friend from Milan. He'd been communicating with Silvano for months, finally succeeding in convincing him to come to the U.S. and take over the operation of Gio Gio's. With the two restaurants atop Joe's new office building downtown, his hands were going to be full. As he considered the changes coming, he was so thankful that Teddy had walked into his life. That young man was going to be the making of Dave's Place.
He stopped his thoughts about Teddy right there. He found it too mind-muddling to think of him romantically. Besides, it looked like Teddy and Arlen were becoming an item. Arlen was definitely infatuated with him. He sighed. He needed another cup of coffee.
Ah, the people were coming through the immigration inspection lines. Thanks to Joe, Silvano had flown first class. Yes, there was Silvano, third in line. He watched the inspector go through his luggage. Soon they would be out of this melee. It wasn't long before Silvano had his three large suitcases back on the carrier and was headed through the gate to where Gio waited.
Silvano's expressive brown eyes sparkled as he greeted and hugged his friend. It had been several years since they'd seen each other. Gio had forgotten how short Silvano was. He stood a head taller than him. The contrast between them was striking. Gio's northern Italian blonde hair and fair skin contrasted with Silvano's olive skin and dark hair, typical of where his family had originated in the southern part of Italy.
Gio had arranged the rental of a furnished apartment for Silvano in the same complex that he lived in. He took him directly there.
"This is wonderful, Gio," Silvano said, stepping into the living room. What is amazing to me is the newness of everything I have seen in this city. There seems to be no great age to anything. It is as if it has no past. My little apartment in Milano was four centuries old. The rooms were small and dark. Here everything is big. Look at this room, my old apartment would fit in half of it."
"You'll find that you will fast get accustomed to it."
"I'm sure I will. The luxury of size alone is so impressive."
Gio laughed. "This is a small place. Wait until you see mine."
Silvano was impressed even more with the modern restaurant kitchen at Gio Gio's. Gio filled him in about the kitchens in the restaurants on top of Joe's new office towers. He hoped his friend wouldn't feel that he was getting the lesser deal. He, however, thought that Silvano would be very happy cooking for, and running, Gio Gio's. Silvano was excited by the prospect of working in a popular American restaurant. Back in Italy, after he had finished the chef's school and returned to his small home town, the only job he could find was as a regular cook. His knowledge as a chef had not been put to use.
When they entered the restaurant Gio was surprised that Teddy was working.
"What are you doing in here at this early hour?" he asked.
Teddy smiled. "Just getting ahead of the game. Making a couple of sauces that need the time to simmer."
Gio shook his head in disbelief. "Teddy, this is Silvano. I picked him up at the airport this morning. As I told you, he will be taking over this joint." Teddy grinned at Gio's use of that word, remembering his reaction to it when Joe had used it. "Silvano, this is Teddy. He is my right arm man. He will be running the two new restaurants downtown."
The two men shook hands as they appraised each other. They each decided that the other was straight. Silvano felt a little relief with that decision. He'd been afraid that Gio would have a kitchen full of gay guys.
"I have to go over to Dave and Joe's for a couple of hours. Silvano why don't you stay here and get to know Teddy and familiarize yourself with your new restaurant."
Silvano agreed, and Gio left. Silvano pulled up a stool at the end of the work table where he would be out of the way. He watched Teddy's efficiency as he put together the ingredients for a Bolognese. They smiled tentatively at each other once in a while until Silvano finally broke the silence. "Where did you go to school?" he asked.
Teddy grinned at him. "Cordon Bleu in Paris."
"So you know more than just cooking Italian?"
"Oh yes, I think that Italian is my favorite, but I do French, German and a little Thai. I also took courses in how to manage a large restaurant."
"You look too young to have the experience to manage. What experience do you have?"
"Nearly none," Teddy said with a grin.
"Yet you will be managing the operation of a big new place?"
"Gio believes I have what it takes to do it, and he's giving me the chance to prove myself capable."
Silvano sat in thought for several minutes. "So how long have you been working for Gio?"
"Nearly a month." Teddy looked up from his chopping.
"And he's placing you in charge," he said, and then mumbled under his breath in Italian, "The man must be crazy, or in love."
Teddy looked up, wondering what Silvano had said in his native language, and shrugged.
"How big is this new place?" Silvano asked.
"Actually, it's two places in one building. The formal restaurant seats two hundred. The roof top seats about seventy."
"And you have never managed a restaurant before?" Silvano was astounded.
Teddy looked up, shook his head and continued chopping vegetables for the sauce.
Silvano slid off the stool and wandered out to the front. He counted the tables. He figured there was seating for thirty, forty if pushed. He couldn't help feeling envious of the young man in the kitchen, but at the same time he felt that this was going to be all he was capable of. He obviously didn't have the training that Teddy had.
He had barely arrived and already he was feeling home sick. He thought about his fiancee. He missed her. As soon as he got settled in, he would send her the money to join him here in the United States. He knew her parents wanted them to have a big church wedding back home, but he didn't see that happening. Maybe after he got well established, he could have both sets of parents come to see them married in a church here. That would make them all happy.
He went back into the kitchen. "Are there any work clothes I could change into?" he asked Teddy. "I would like to help."
Teddy looked up. "Well, mine would be way too big. But Gio's would nearly fit you, if you roll the pant legs and tighten the waist with your belt." He laid his knife down, went into the office, pulled a set of whites off the shelf and handed them to Silvano.
A few minutes later Silvano entered the kitchen ready to go to work. "What can I do to help?" he asked.
"Well, why don't you first explore the whole place and discover where everything is kept."
This surprised Silvano, he'd been sure that he would be put to doing some menial task. But then, since he'd be in charge of cooking in this kitchen, he'd soon be doing all the menials anyway. He hadn't been told, nor had he realized that Teddy was in the kitchen four hours early. The staff, including two other cooks, would be in at one to prepare for dinner starting at four p.m.
He explored the pantry, the big refrigerators and the freezer, memorizing where all the food stuff was kept. He then took a mental inventory of all the rest of the kitchen, where all the pots and pans, the knives and other cooking utensils were kept. He familiarized himself with the big sinks for washing the cookware. He was really impressed with the big stainless steel dishwasher.
When he'd again walked through the front of the house, he took note of the total layout, then returned to stand next to where Teddy was still chopping vegetables. "Let me do that," he said, taking the knife from him.
Teddy stepped aside and watched him for a moment. Silvano smiled up at the tall young American. "I would have thought you would use a Cuisinart to do this," he said.
"I like the look of the hand-cut little cubes," Teddy answered. "They're much prettier. It shows that one cares enough to do it right."
"But you could save so much time," Silvano protested.
"True, and it would taste just as good - as long as your eyes are closed. But the appearance of the food is as important as the taste."
Properly chastised, Silvano said as he continued to cut the carrots, celery and onions into precise little cubes, "That is true, what you say. Where Gio and I went to school, we had no modern appliances. We were never tempted to take short cuts."
Teddy went about sauteing the ground veal and pork for the Bolognese. Silvano was lost in thought as he chopped. He wondered how Gio had so quickly decided that Teddy was qualified to run such a huge restaurant operation. He knew it would take him years to be ready for such an undertaking.
He finished the chopping job and started the minced vegetables sauteing. He stood stirring it when Gio walked in. Silvano watched him as he talked to Teddy. He couldn't see Teddy's face. But he could see Gio's. And in Gio's, he could see the adoration he had for the handsome young man. He then understood how Gio had come to his decision. Although he and Gio had never spoken about it, he was aware that Gio had no interest in women. He'd long suspected that was why Gio had been so eager to come to the U.S. with his American cousin. He said a silent prayer that things would work out for his dear friend.
Gio went to his office leaving the two men, who worked in silence. Teddy had asked Silvano to prepare the sauce ingredients for a cacciatore and left him to himself as he worked on preparing the chicken for it. He then prepared veal cutlets to saute that night as they were ordered.
"You are aware, are you not, that Gio is enamoured with you?" Silvano said, shattering the silence.
Ted froze with the look of an animal caught in oncoming headlights. Silvano glanced up into his blood-filled face.
"You are not aware of it, are you?"
"You are wrong. Gio isn't even gay."
"Silvano smiled. "You, my young friend, are wrong. Gio has no interest in women."
Silvano assumed Teddy's reaction to be that of a straight man. 'Gio will have a heart ache from this one,' he thought.
Teddy washed and dried his hands, then walked into Gio's office and closed the door.
With a welcoming smile, Gio glanced up at Teddy and then back at the receipt in his hand.
"I quit."
The words hung in the air for several heart beats as Gio looked up into Teddy's frowning face wondering what brought this on. He felt a strong surge of panic. "You can't," he uttered.
"I can't work for someone who is in love with me."
"Who said that I'm in love with you?" His Italian belligerency coming to the fore.
"Your friend, Silvano."
"He's got a big mouth. Besides, he doesn't know what he's talking about." He made a rude gesture with his hand.
"So, you aren't in love with me?" Teddy stood beside the paper-piled desk, his hands fisted stiffly at his sides.
"I didn't say that." Gio flicked his hand as if to shoo off the statement.
"So just what is it you aren't saying?" Teddy folded his arms across his chest.
"I am saying that I need you to not quit. I am saying that I need you to oversee the new restaurant."
"I'm not for sale, dammit. You can't buy me with that."
The look of utter astonishment on Gio's face told Teddy that he'd been wrong.
Gio pushed away from his desk and stood, never taking his eyes away from Teddy's. "It never entered my mind that I could," he said. "You are very capable. I think you can take on this restaurant and with my help we'll make a big success of it." Gio made a pleading gesture with his expressive hands.
Teddy glowered at him. Gio stared back, trying through the eye contact to convince Teddy that what he'd said was true. Teddy finally broke the eye-lock and looked away. He collapsed into the chair across the desk from Gio, sighed and sat forward, dropping his head. Gio wondered how Silvano had known how he felt about Teddy? Was it that obvious?
Teddy stared at the floor for a bit and then looked up into Gio's clear blue eyes and said, "I'd like it if you are telling the truth."
Gio closed his eyes, wondered how he could torture Silvano for running his big mouth, and then looked at Teddy again. "I am telling you the truth. I believe you are capable of doing this. Otherwise, I would never risk hundreds of thousands of dollars on you."
Teddy straightened up and looked Gio in the eyes. He hadn't looked at the situation in monetary terms. He gulped. "I won't let you down, Gio. We'll make a success of this."
Gio smiled. "I've never for a moment doubted that."
Teddy smiled back, then with a sigh he went back to studying the floor between his feet. Gio wanted to go to him, hold his head against his chest and tell him how he felt, but he knew he could never do that since Teddy was obviously straight. Gio sat and watched and prayed that everything would be okay again.
Teddy sighed again, looked up, then sat back and tenuously smiled at Gio. "I love you, too, you know."
Gio blinked and looked away. His hands dropped lifeless to the desk top. He wasn't expecting that. It threw him for a loop. A thousand thoughts flew through his head, yet only one got voiced. "What about Arlen?" His hands stayed still except for a momentary flutter of his fingers.
Teddy chuckled. "Arlen is just a horndog trying to get into my pants."
"But you've been out three times with him in the last week." One hand came off the desk top with three fingers up to emphasize how many.
Teddy mentally kicked himself. He'd thought that Gio would verify his feeling for him. Why had he told Gio how he felt? Shit! All he'd done was put himself in a vulnerable position and hadn't gotten any reciprocation. He found himself feeling angry again. Well, if Gio wanted to play games, screw it, he could play with the best of them. He looked at Gio, cocked his head to the side, raised his eyebrows and simply blinked.
"So, you have bedded him." Gio's obtuse euphemism would normally have amused Teddy, but the accusatory voice rankled.
"I don't think that is any of your business," he snapped.
"Of course it is my business." Gio's voice rose several hundred decibels.
"And how do you come to that conclusion?" Teddy matched him decibel for decibel.
Gio snapped his mouth shut and blinked. He wasn't sure he wanted to commit himself, however, without committing himself he had no viable answer.
Teddy wasn't relenting. He stood, placed the knuckles of his fisted hands on the desktop, leaned forward and yelled into Gio's face, "Come on, Gio, why do you think you have a right to know my private life?"
Gio stared into Teddy's face and then looked away. "Because I love you, too," he mumbled.
"What? I didn't hear you." Teddy yelled again.
Gio's head snapped back and he glared at Teddy "I love you, too, Goddamit," he yelled back as he stood, sending his desk chair rolling back to collide with a file cabinet, and then he fell to muttering more explicatives in Italian which included very expressive hand movements.
Teddy sat down with a little muttered, "Oh."
"I tell you I love you and all you can say is oh?" Gio's hands were accenting every word with an expressive gesture as he muttered some more in his native language.
"I told you the same thing and you accused me of having an affair, when it wasn't any of your business to begin with. Besides, how do you know how many times I've been out with Arlen?" Teddy yelled the question.
Gio glared at him belligerently.
Teddy stared back and then it dawned on him. "You've been stalking me. Spying on me," he said softly.
"I have not been stalking you." Gio grabbed the back of his chair and rolled it back to the desk and sat down. "I can see the front of your house from my balcony. I saw you leave with Arlen. That's all."
"Three times?"
Gio shrugged. "The first time was accidental. I just happened to step out to get some fresh air. The other two times I was watching, wishing it was me."
That statement deflated Teddy's anger. "Gio." He shook his head. "Gio, this won't work. We only have seven weeks to get this new place up and operational. Besides you're my boss. We can't be getting emotionally involved."
Gio looked at him and shrugged. "I can't help it. I'm Italian. I'm emotional. I'm romantic."
Teddy looked up at him through furrowed, hooded brows. "Yeah, and I'm Irish and stubborn as a mule. And it just won't work."
"We'll make it work." Gio insisted.
Teddy closed his eyes. God he wanted this man so badly, but he had committed himself to the job Gio had given him. He wanted to succeed at that, too. He knew the hours were going to be long, and the effort to get Dave's Place up and running was going to be tremendous. There was no time to spend on a budding romance. He grimaced, and sighed. "Look, let's cool it until after the opening; we don't have time for both. We're both adults. We know what we want. We can wait," he said.
Gio frowned as he thought about it, then grinned. "You are right. See, that is why I say you are perfect for this job."
Teddy smiled back. "Thanks, Gio."
"So you won't go out with Arlen again?"
"Of course I'll go out with Arlen again. For a beer or dinner. But I still won't 'go to bed' with him."
"You mean you haven't 'fucked' with him?"
Teddy grinned at the straightforwardness of the question this time. "No, Gio, I haven't fucked with him. I have no intention of letting Arlen get into my pants."
Gio looked relieved. "Will you go out for a beer with me?"
It made Teddy warm inside to see how Gio really felt. "Sure, Gio. When?" he answered.
Silvano hadn't been aware that Teddy had left the kitchen until he heard the office door close. He imagined the two men in an embrace and shook his head. Now no work would get done around here with those two going at each other. Then he heard them yelling at each other, he cringed. What had he started? When the argument behind the closed door quieted down, Silvano sighed with relief, but then the yelling started again. 'My first day here and look what I did. Who would have thought a little observation would set off a war? I thought they'd be loving each other, from the way they look at each other.' When it quieted again, he again sighed with relief. He timidly glanced at Gio when the door finally opened. Gio frowned at him and in Italian, said, "Big mouth." Silvano looked down, properly chastised. When he glanced back up, Gio smiled beatifically at him and looked lovingly at Teddy. Teddy rolled his eyes. Silvano wasn't sure, but he thought that maybe they had straightened things out between them.
The next weeks were intense, filled with interviewing and hiring, which Gio and Teddy did jointly. Once the kitchen staff was set, the larder was filled with staples. The construction crews had finished their work and left the men from the different equipment companies to finish connecting all the stoves, grill, etc. They were a different species from the kitchen staff dressed in their white uniforms. They were mostly men with muscular bare arms, their undershirts stretched over their beginning beer bellies and low hanging loose pants that showed occasional plumbers' butts. Teddy couldn't help but grin and enjoy the sight of the occasional hairy crack. The kitchen crew had to be patient and just work around them.
The menus were finalized and sent to the printers. As deliveries were received, they were disbursed to their proper locations. Accounts were set up with suppliers for prime meats and farm fresh vegetable. Deliveries of fresh seafood from the Gulf and the east and west coasts were arranged. Gio spent most of his time in his office keeping up with the paperwork. Teddy found himself... he'd always been an excellent chef, but overseeing the large kitchen was his element.
In the middle of all of this, the two men took time to assist Silvano in preparation for Johnny and Tim's commitment. Once the menu for the affair was decided, Teddy ordered the food through the new restaurant. Gio went back to his deluge of paperwork.
After the third week of not seeing anything of his desk top, Gio went to Joe and asked him to find an in-house accountant. He wondered why he hadn't foreseen the need. Joe went one step further and hired a woman skilled in the field of restaurant accounts and also hired an aide for her. That left Gio to do what he should have been doing, overseeing the whole operation.
He was very pleased to see the excellent job Teddy was doing, and was impressed with the rapport he had with his staff, and the infinite patience he had with the men still installing the equipment. He had intuitively known Teddy's forte. He loved watching him move about the kitchens overseeing everything. Gio knew that if it had been him in Teddy's place he'd be losing his temper and yelling constantly.
It seemed to Teddy that every time he turned around he caught Gio watching him. He couldn't miss the tender expression in his eyes. He'd wink at Gio and give him a knowing little smile. Being aware of how Gio felt made Teddy's job so much easier. He didn't have to play any games. All he had to do was feel secure and satisfied that he was doing an excellent job... and have fun while doing it.
Since Teddy hadn't taken the time to buy a car, he rode with Gio every day. On this ride, morning and night, neither said anything that wasn't about their work, yet they were both aware of the dynamic tension. Their eyes communicated what they refused to let their mouths say.
It was Saturday afternoon. Teddy had closed the place down at four and sent everyone home. He didn't know about the staff, but he, personally, was exhausted. They were all taking Sunday off.
There was room in the office for Teddy to have a desk, but on discovering that there was an open space on the kitchen floor that was out of the flow of traffic yet had an overview of nearly the entire kitchen, he'd had his desk placed there. Gio stood in the door of his office and studied Teddy's back. His infatuation with Teddy had turned into a deep abiding love and admiration for him. He was content just being near him. Although at night, he ached for the day that Teddy would consent to stay with him.
Since their yelling match, neither had said another word about how they felt. Yet it was clear that they loved each other.
Gio left the office door, moved behind Teddy and started massaging his shoulders. "You are all knots," he said.
"Oh God, Gio, that feels so good. I've seriously been thinking of finding a professional masseur."
"Why do that when I don't charge. Beside I've got a big whirlpool tub in my bathroom. Between it and my fingers, I can get all your knots out."
Teddy sighed, wanting nothing more than to go home with him. "Gio, you agreed."
"Nothing will happen that you don't want to happen."
"You said it yourself, Gio. You're Italian."
"And as an Italian, I honor my word. I will do nothing you don't want me to do."
"Promise."
"On my mother's grave."
Teddy gave Gio an exasperated glare. "Your mother doesn't have a grave. She's not dead."
"On the one she will someday have. God willing, it will be in the far future." Gio didn't miss a beat as he continued kneading Teddy's tight shoulder muscles.
Teddy dropped his head. "Alright, lead me to your lair."
Gio grinned and silently yelled, "Yes, Yes, Yes." He dropped his hands from Teddy's shoulders and turned away. "Come then, let's go home."
Teddy smiled, he liked the sound of that.
Gio was a man of his word. He didn't touch Teddy again. When they entered Gio's apartment, he showed him around and ended up on the balcony off the living room.
"So this is where you spy on me," Teddy said. He was grinning, but Gio couldn't see it.
"I didn't spy on you. I watched you leave. And that was only three times."
"Don't get upset, Gio. I was only yanking your chain." He leaned on the rail. "Where is the house?"
Gio stepped up next to him. When their shoulders touched, Gio moved away enough that it wouldn't happen again. Teddy wanted to move with him, but he stayed where he was and just enjoyed that momentary touch. "It's right down there." Gio pointed. "See Pete's little blue car in the driveway?"
Teddy looked and then moved over, bumping into Gio. They both acted like it didn't affect them, but they both thrilled again to the accidental touch. "Oh, yeah. Hell, if the front door were open, I could almost see into the house. Hey, there's Jason. What is he doing?"
Gio turned and looked at Teddy. Feigning scorn, he said, "And who is spying now?"
He straightened up and turned to Gio. "I'm sorry, Gio. I won't rag on you about it again."
"Let's go get you into that whirlpool."
Teddy followed him back through the abode to the master bedroom. "I'll get the water going, you can undress." Teddy hesitated. He obviously hadn't thought this through. Gio noticed the hesitation. "Look. I will eventually see you naked anyway, it might as well be now. I gave you my word. I will not touch you except to give you a rubdown when you get out of the tub. Now get your clothes off and stop acting silly."
"Yes, Gio." Teddy said, meekly. Gio looked at him with a raised eyebrow, shrugged and went into bathroom. After getting the water all set, he walked back into the bedroom to find Teddy in his underwear slumped sideways on the edge of the bed, asleep.
He walked over and studied his beautiful pale body. There was something so sexy about an untanned body. He'd never imagined that Teddy would be covered with so much hair. The front of his abdomen was a thicket; he could barely make out the dark nipples through the mass. Starting just above his elbow his arm started getting hair down to his wrists.
Gio had never noticed before that the backs of his knuckle had the same dark reddish-brown hairs. Teddy's sides and back, from what Gio could see, were smooth, but his legs looked almost like a satyr's. Gio shivered. He wanted so badly to trail his fingers through the dark auburn hair on his thigh. Instead, he shook Teddy's upper arm. "Come on Ted. The tub is ready."
"Oh man, I am so tired."
"As you should be, as hard as you work. Come on Big Guy, get up and into the tub."
Still half asleep Teddy stood up and ambled into the bathroom with Gio right behind him. Teddy looked at the foaming surface of the roiling water as he shucked his underwear. "Damn that looks so inviting." He groaned as he stepped into the tub, sat down and then lay back. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Gio this feels so good. Thank you for letting me use it."
Gio had been transported. He'd stood transfixed as Teddy's hirsute bubble butt had been exposed. And now as he lay in the swirling water, Gio got teasing glimpses of his manhood. "It is yours to use any time you want," he murmured.
Teddy looked up to see Gio worshiping his body with his eyes. "This is terribly one sided you know," he said.
Gio blushed. "What is?"
"You are fully dressed."
"You want me to take my clothes off?"
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Teddy said, staring into Gio's blue eyes.
Gio was held in thrall by his stare. Slowly he started unbuttoning his shirt. He shrugged out of it and dropped it on the floor, then he pulled his tee shirt over his head and dropped it on top of the discarded shirt. He untied one shoelace, loosened it and pulled his heavy work shoe off and then his thick cotton sock. He repeated the same procedure with the other one. All the while his eyes were locked to Teddy's. Teddy's eyes never wavered.
Gio released his belt, unbuttoned the baggy black and white hound's tooth cotton pants and let them drop to the floor, then stepped out of them. Hooking his thumbs in the waist band of his boxers, he wiggled them below his hips and let them fall too.
When Teddy let his eyes drop down to check Gio out, the thrall was broken. Gio's whole body blushed. His excitement started to rise. Teddy's was already above the water. "You've got to be as tired as I am," Teddy said.
"You're on the run much more than I am," Gio replied, wanting badly to reach out and grasp Teddy's beautiful pale cock. His own was darker than the rest of his skin. Teddy's was lighter.
"We work the same amount of hours."
"But..."
"Shut up, Gio, and get into this tub. It's certainly big enough for two."
"Teddy are y..."
"Just do it," Teddy commanded. And suddenly it was Gio that was being meek. Teddy sat up and spread his legs. Gio stepped in and sat down between them, trying not to let Teddy's rampant cock touch his back side. It was a lost battle. Teddy grabbed Gio around his chest and simultaneously slid backdown into a reclining position and pulled Gio back to lie against his chest. "Now just relax and let the waters do their work."
Gio sighed, and did as he was told, even though he was very conscious of the hard rod pressing against his back. The heat, the roiling water and bubbles soon had them so relaxed that they both dozed off. The click of the timer turning off startled Gio awake. He sat up, waking Teddy. They'd both lost their hardons. Gio opened the drain and stood to turn on the shower. Teddy admired the two glorious wet buns in front of his face. He leaned forward and kissed each one.
"You're going to get us both excited again. And I'm too tired to do anything."
"They are so beautiful I couldn't resist," Teddy said, getting to his feet.
"Come on, let's get rinsed off and get some sleep." Gio stepped back so Teddy could get under the spray. Without even thinking about it, Teddy pulled Gio back under the spray with him. He sluiced his hands down Gio's body and turned him around and did the same to his back. "I still have to get home. Thank God it is less than a block away."
Gio took over doing the same to Teddy. "This could be your home," he murmured, looking up at him.
Teddy wrapped his arms around the naked man and held him against his own naked body. "We haven't even dated. We need to do a lot of talking. Get to know each other, before we live together."
"We've spent every day for the last month together. We know each other better than if we had dated for a year."
"But you're still my boss. That makes it awkward."
"At work I'm your boss. Here, you can be the boss."
"I don't want to be the boss... I want to be your equal, your lover."
"So, what is the problem?"
Teddy thought for a moment. "There is no problem."
"Then let's get dried off and get some sleep."
When they got into the big bed, Teddy rolled onto his side facing Gio and pulled him up against his chest and entwined their legs, pressing his hardness against Gio's. "Now go to sleep."
Gio sighed and nuzzled in the luxurious hair and pressed back, but soon he was softly snoring. It was only then that Teddy relaxed and let sleep take him, too.